An Australian's perspective on Spanish Wine

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Notes: A good value for money Ribera, nothing special but for an everyday wine is quite acceptable. It has all the characteristics of a Ribera de Duero, dark red fruit, right amount of oaking; certainly not a refined wine but for barbecues and casual occasions it won’t disappoint.

I had this at my Spanish friends BBQ, Toro wines keep evolving and refining themselves and this is a very good example of that.

This bold wine comes from Bodegas Frutas Villar which they were first established in 1920, using tempranillo as their main grape.

The is full bodied but has a delicate balance between the dark tempranillo grape and the mainly american oaking from 12-20 moths then another 12 months resting in the bottle.

This matches very well grilled meats as it stands up to the card flavouring, this wine is highly recommended and it will be hard to find a Rioja Reserva of the same quality at this price point (obviously very different style of wine).

Overall this Tinto from Toro is of great personality and character, while still being smooth and balanced.

Produced by Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro located in the heart of Ribera del Duero, founded in the early 1990´s by Florentino Arzuaga.

Now with over 150 hectares of vines with a combination of tempanillo, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

The wine itself has wonderful full body with great concentration resulting it very pleasing flavour of dark cherry fruit. It is a fresh young wine with gentle and engaging balance from the 6 months in French and American oak.

I found this to be very engaging and seeing it was a cool night suited the evening almost perfectly.

I had the wine with some grill meats but would suit a hearty stew or your favourite tapas.

Notes: Bodegas Pago del Vicario is located a few kilometers from Cuidad Real and about 1.5 hours from Madrid on the river bank of Guadiana river 600 meters above sea level. The total area is over 130 hectares of vines which mainly consist of Tempranillo but they also have planted Garnacha, Graciano, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The climate is distinct with a large thermal contrast between day and night, which they believe helps install unique flavours in their grapes. Maybe this is how they were able to produce such an incredibly different Rose wine if you can call it that, it’s almost like they have created a new style of wine altogether. As this is more of a cross between a normal red wine and a rose wine. With a massive 15% alcohol which doesn’t interfere with the flavour of the wine, it’s truly unique. I am not normally a great lover of rose wines, but if you are like me this may change your mind as it has the freshness of a white/rose wine but with the structure and complexity of a bold red. Great summer time wine but be careful it goes down quite easily and before you know it you will be on to your second bottle. Not everyone will love this if you are only a red drinker you my find it a bit of a ¨bubblegum¨ wine with its high level of raspberry type cordial fruit. It’s not a refined wine but if you take it for what it is you will enjoy it. It has been awarded best rose by some different wine show awards. Give it a try you will probably know after your first glass if it’s for you or not, for me it’s my go to rose wine on the small occasions I feel like it. For those big rose fans you can probably add a few more points to my score. Suits wide variety of foods so don’t limit yourself matching with what ever food you like. Enjoy!

Notes: A pleasant medium body wine from bodegas Santa Cecilia located in the western Spain in the region of Extremadura. Soft and subtle easy drinking wine, a bit like a light Rioja, lacks a little bit of depth, complexity and concentration for my taste. At this price point is slightly expensive as there are other wines I would choose over this but not bad to use as a casual BBQ wine. Nine months in American and French oak which is noticeable but not overpowering, nice blend between wood and light fruit. Has notes of chocolate and balsamic with aroma of slightly toasted peppery wood. Probably wouldn’t buy again not because it’s bad just not to my preference.

Note: Produced by Bodegas Finca San Blas, from the relatively new wine region located in the south east of Spain near the city of Valencia. It is mostly recognized for the grape Bobal which I haven’t had much success with in trying so far but the winery decided to break the mold and go with a 90% Merlot and 10% Tempranillo. The winery itself was based on the classic French chateaux design but with the most modern wine techniques being used. I think what makes this wine so surprisingly refined and smooth is the combination of it being oaked in French barrels for 14 months then was bottled until 2007 and left for further time to cellar in the bottle before being released on the market in 2011. Also their relatively low production which helps to concentrate the grapes to achieve a fuller flavour. Being vintage 2005 I thought most likely it would be passed its best but in fact I think it’s at its perfect time to drink, as the evolution in the bottle has made just a beautiful weight, structure, length, sweet tannins and outstanding balance of lush fresh ruby fruit and oak. Enjoy on those special times with good friends.

Notes: Bodegas Señorio de Ulia has produced a medium-light bodied and very smooth Rioja Reserva especially for the price, it really is the classic style you expect from this region. A lot of wineries in Rioja and other regions have modernised their wine making style but this one seems very traditional. In the end it just comes down to palate preference, for me I like both if done well, which this is. If there is one thing to look out for with this wine is that I don’t think it will cellar for much longer, it drinks well now but I have the sense that it needs to be drunk in the next year as it feels that the acidity is fading slightly and when that happens in reserva or gran reserva it can happen fast. It’s a lighter style of wine, an old style rioja. This red you could drink with all types of seafood as it’s not heavy and wouldn’t overpower the food. But don’t get me wrong it’s till a nice wine to drink…but drink this vintage now!